Foundation garment



April 25, 1961 H. KRESS FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1959 INVENTOR. Hermon Kress TTORNEY April 25, 1961 H. KRESS FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1959 FlG.4

ATfoRNEY INVENTOR. n Kress Hermo United States Patent 2,981,257 FOUNDATION GARMENT Herman Kress, 139 E. 33rd St., New York, N.Y. Filed Aug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 833,058 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-432) This invention relates to foundation garments and more particularly to undergarments which include an upper brassiere section and a lower abdominal section and generally known as a corselet.

It is a matter of common knowledge that the constricting pressure of fiat elastic fabric alone, in a foundation garment, is insufficient to mold and emphasize the natural curvatures of the body of a wearer. In order to lend emphasis and accentuate the natural curvatures of the body, it has been the practice in the art to contour the side portions of each of the panels of a garment so that the resulting garment would be form-fitting. However, contoured side edges alone in no way effect the fiatness of the fabric stretching across the front and rear portions of the body of a wearer so that a true form fitting garment may result.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a foundation garment which will effect and produce desirable contours of the front and rear areas of the body of a wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foundation garment which is comfortable to the wearer While achieving maximum body contour support to all areas of the body.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an undergarment which is form-fitting and molded to follow the natural body contour along the front and rear areas of the body as well as the sides, while providing necessary constraining force to those areas of the body where such constraining force is most needed.

In accomplishing the foregoing objects, there is provided a foundation garment composed of a plurality of panels of particular shape, arrangement, and relationship to each other to provide a simple, yet ingenious structure which will result in a true form-fitting garment following the contours of the front and rear regions of the body of a wearer as well as the side regions thereof.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawing, wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the front of the garment constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the rear of the garment;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the front panels;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the rear panels; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the side of the garment according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is illustrated a corselet comprised of front sectional panels 11, 12 and rear sectional panels 21, 22 respectively. Bust cups 13, 14 are illustrated as attached to the top of the garment 10 and supported by conventional shoulder straps 15.

It will be seen that front panels 11, 12, as well as rear panels 21, 22, are mirror images of each other.

ice

Therefore, a description of one front and one rear panel,

will suffice for both, and such further description of the panels will be made using front panel 11, and rear panel 22.

Front sectional panel 11 of two way stretch elastic fabric extends vertically the length of the garment 10. In the upper part of the front panel 11, the outer longitudinal edge 31 thereof assumes a generally concave are 32, while said outer longitudinal edge 31 in the lower part of said front panel 11 assumes a generally convex arc 33. The inside longitudinal edge 34 generally assumes a concave are extending from the top edge '35 of said panel 11 to the bottom edge 36 thereof. The bottom edge 36 of said front panel 11 assumes an oblique line running from the inside edge 34 of the front panel 11 to the outside edge 31 thereof. The top edge 35 generally assumes a semi-circular arcu-ate configuration and forms the bottom edge of bust cup 13 attached thereto.

Upon the rear panel 22 the inner and outer longitudinal edges 43, 44 respectively, thereof form a first concave are 45, 46 on either longitudinal edge in the upper part of said vertical panel 22 and extend to the lower part of said panel 22 forming a convex are 47, 48 on each edge, and terminating at the bottom horizontal edge 49 of said panel 22. The top edge 50 of said rear panel 22 assumes the form of a slightly concave arc to which shoulder straps 15 are attached.

Prior to forming the garment 10 a front insert panel 16 generally of triangular configuration with a slightly concave hypotenuse (not shown) to conform to the longitudinal concave inner edge 34 of front panel 11 is superposed upon the inner face of said front panel, for the purpose of furnishing specialized control at areas of greatest stress. Similarly, rear insert panel 43, generally of a keystone configuration, is superposed upon rear panel 22, upon the inner face thereof, substantially in the area of the buttocks, to further furnish specialized control at the area of greatest stress in the rear of the garment. L

In forming the garment, front panels 11, 12 are joined along their longitudinal edges 34, 34 by fagotting or other stitching to form a contoured longitudinal seam 17, while the rear panels 21, 22 are joined in similar manner along their longitudinal edges 43, 43 forming a rear contoured longitudinal seam 23. The outer edge 31, 3-1 of the front panel and the outer edges 44, 44 of rear panel 21, 22, are also joined to form longitudinal side seams 18, 19 as seen in Fig. l.

Hose supporting members 51 are conveniently arranged along the lower peripheral edge of the garment and stitched thereto to the lower edge of the garment.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the panels, as

contoured in concave and convex manner, conform to the natural curvatures of the body to produce a formfitting garment, which adheres to the anterior as well as the posterior curvatures of the body, as well as the lateral curvatures thereof.

While a specific embodiment has been herein described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein, and as so changed, a modified structure would still fall within the ambit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A foundation garment of two way stretch elastic fabric, comprising a front section composed of a plurality of panels and a rear section composed of a plurality of panels, the panels of said front and rear sections extending vertically the length of the garment, the outer longitudinal edges of said front panels at the upper portion thereof having a concave arc, said edges continuing downwardly and forming a convex arc, the inner longitudinal edges of said front panels generally assuming a concave arc, the outer and inner longitudinal edges of said rear said longitudinal inner edges of said rear panels being joined to form a contoured seam at the rear of the garment, said longitudinal outer edges of said front and rear panels being joined to form a contoured seam at the side of said garment whereby a form-fitting body encircling garment is formed.

2. A foundation garment according to claim 1 wherein a generally triangular insert panel is superposed upon the inner face of said front panel, the hypotenuse of said triangular insert generally conforming to the inner concave edge of said front panel, and an insert of generally keystoned con-figuration superposed upon the inner face of said rear panel, the longitudinal edge of said keystone panel generally conforming to the inner edge of said rear panel.

2,194,181 Jasper Mar. 19, 1940 Kops July 30, 1935 

